Envelope bag with filling neck and means for closing the same



G CLARIZIO Jan. 24, 1967 ENVELOPE BAG WITH FILLING NECK AND MEANS FORCLOSING THE SAME Filed Sept. 22, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

Jan. 24, 1967 G. CLARIZIO 3,299,927

ENVELOPE BAG WITH FILLING NECK AND MEANS FOR CLOSING THE SAME FiledSept. 22, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent ()fiice 3,299,927Patented Jan. 24, 1967 3,299,927 ENVELOPE BAG WITH FILLING NECK ANDMEANS FOR CLOSING THE SAME Giacomo Clarizio, Chicago, Ill., assignor toThe Scholl lglfgl:K Co., Inc., Chicago, Ill., a corporation of New FiledSept. 22, 1965, Ser. No. 489,352 11 Claims. (Cl. 150--2.2)

The present application is a continuation-in-part of my applicationSerial No. 248,097, filed Dec. 28, 1962, now Patent No. 3,244,210,issued Apr. 5, 1966.

This invention relates to improvements in envelope bags of the typehaving a filling neck, and more particularly concerns such a bag withnew and improved means for closing the same.

The type of bag with which the present invention is principallyconcerned includes an open-ended neck extending therefrom and ofsubstantial length so that after the bag is filled it can be tightlyclosed against leakage by folding the neck several times toward the bodyand then securing the folded neck. The present invention concerns adesirable and advantageous means for securing and retaining the foldedneck in its folded and liquid-tight condition, as it must be where, forexample, the bag is used as a hot water bag or ice bag such as may beused in hospitals, clinics, dentists offices, sick rooms and similarlocations for application to an afiliction and the like.

An important object of the present invention is to provide new andimproved means for securing envelope bags in closed condition.

Another object of the invention is to provide novel securing means forfoldably necked bags of the type which will function as hot water bagsor ice bags.

A further object of the invention is to provide new and improved meansfor securing a folded filling neck of an envelope bag in a mannerenabling ready opening and replacement of the contents of such a bag.

Still another object of the invention is to provide new and improvedsecuring strap means for the filling necks of envelope bags of thecharacter described.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide therewith a bag madeof thermoplastic film or sheet material with new and improved fillerneck securing means also made from a thermoplastic material and securedthereto by thermoplastic fusing.

A yet further object of the invention is to provide new and improvedmeans for securing a closing strap to a filling neck of an envelope bag.

It is also an object of the invention to provide new and improved meansfor making securing means for the filling neck of an envelope bag.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will bereadily apparent from the following detailed description of certainpreferred embodiments thereof, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary elevational view of a bag embodying principlesof this invention, showing the novel filling neck closing means.

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary elevational view of the same bag showing thefilling neck closed.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional detail view takenon the lines III-III of FIGURE FIGURE 4 is a sectional detail viewsimilar to FIGURE 3 but showing a slight modification;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmental elevational view of a modified bag structuredepicting the filling neck in a preliminary stage of manufacture;

FIGURE 6 is an elevational view of the neck of the same bag in asucceeding stage of manufacture;

FIGURE 7 is an elevational view of the same neck with a fastening stripsecured in operative relation thereto; and

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional detail view takensubstantially on the line VIIIVIII of FIGURE 7.

As seen in FIGURE 1, a bag embodying the invention comprises a body part10 which may be generally rectangular in outline and provided with arelatively long and substantially narrower neck 11 projecting from itstop edge and defining an entrance or filler opening or passage into thebag. One side of the neck extends upwardly as indicated at 12, a shortdistance beyond the other side of the neck, in order to facilitatefilling substances through the neck into the body part 11 of the bag.This bag is preferably made of thermoplastic sheet material such aspolyethylene, rubber hydrochloride, vinyl or any other suitablethermoplastic and heat-scalable film or sheet material. Desirably, also,the front and back faces of the bag body and the neck are multi-ply forstrenth and safety and comprise a single piece of material, as set forthand claimed in my aforesaid parent application.

Where the bag has been made from tubular stock flattened and folded andheat-sealed along side edges, the front of the bag body 10 and the neck11 comprises inner and outer plies 13 and 14- (FIG. 3) and the back ofthe body and the neck comprises corresponding inner and outer plies 15and 17. Along the top edge of the front portion of the neck the pliesdefine a closed fold 18, and along the top edge of the neck extensionportion 12 the plies are joined on a closed fold 19.

When the bag is put to use and filled to the desired extent, it isclosed by folding the neck 11, starting by folding the extending backportion 12 over the neck opening and about the closure fold 18 and ontothe front of the neck, and the folding then continued by incrementsthroughout the length of the neck and the folded neck then is securedagainst unfolding.

A highly desirable type of means for retaining the bag closed, and whichis particularly advantageous when the bag is to be reused, comprises asecuring strip 20 which is desirably slightly narrower than the lengthof the extension portion 12 of the neck and of suflicient length so thatwhen wrapped about the neck the opposite end portions of the strip willoverlap with a female snap fastener element 21 on one end portion andsnappingly engaged with a complemental male element 22. Conveniently,the securing strip 20 is made from plastic strip material of substantialthickness and strength, such as two or three times the thickness of thebasic sheet material of the bag itself, so as to afford adequatestiffness for the purpose while, nevertheless, being adequatelyflexible. For convenience in retaining it in place, the securing strip20 is attached, preferably permanently to the extended portion 12 of theneck, above the fold 18, in face-to-face relation to the front face ofthe extended portion, by fusing or cementing and with the opposite endportions of the strip projecting to opposite sides beyond the neck 11.

When the bag is to be closed, the closure strip carrying neck extendingportion 12 is folded down as shown in dash outline in FIGURE 3, and thefolding continued increment-by-increment until the neck has been foldedseveral times and desirably until the fold reaches the bag body,substantially as shown in FIGURE 2. Then the extending end portions ofthe retaining strip 20 are brought together into overlapping relationand the snap fastener elements 21 and 22 snapped together to retain theclosure until it is desired to open the bag, whereupon the reverseaction is effected. With this arrangement, the closed strip effectivelyretains the folds of the neck 11 from unfolding and by virtue of theseveral folds retains the contents within the bag against escape.Further, with this arrangement, the closed strip 20 may be used as ahandle to pick up the bag by inserting a finger or two inside theoverlapped and secured together end portions of the strip. When it isdesired to empty or change the contents of the bag, it is a simplematter to unsnap the ends of the strip 20, unwind the neck of the bag,and it is then open ready for emptying of the contents and replacementof the contents if desired.

In FIGURE 4 is disclosed a slight modification of the bag, with all ofthe elements which are identical with the bag of FIGURES l3 beingidentified with primed reference numerals indicating the same elementsand for which elements it will be understood the same descriptionapplies. The difference in this modified form resides in that instead ofthe bag having been made from a tubular stock sheet, it has been madefrom a folded sheet which has been heat sealed along the top edge toprovide a heat seal seam 23 which, however, is functionally the same asthe fold edge 19 once the heat sealing has been accomplished. That is,the bag is functionally made from a folded collapsed tubular sheetmaterial so that the interface area between the collapsed plies isthoroughly sealed against fluid entry.

In the modification of FIGURES 8, a construction is illustrated in whichdouble ply material is utilized similarly as in the form of FIGURES 1-3,namely, thin film or sheet material of preferably film or plastic type,towards a single tubular sheet which is collapsed into fiat multi-plyrelation and folded to define a bag body 30 and a filler neck 31extending from the top rear of and provided with an upward backextension 32 projecting up from a closure fold 34 of the front portionof the neck 31. Along its bottom edge, the bag body 30 has an integralclosed fold 35. Along the sides and top of the body 30 and the sides ofthe neck 31, effective heat sealing is provided by a pair of spacedparallel heat seal seams 37 affording double protection against breakoutof the heat sealed edges.

For retaining the neck 31 closed after it has been folded in the samemanner as described in respect to the neck 11, that is by first foldingdown the extended portion 32 onto the front face of the neck 31 and thencontinuing the folding until the neck has been entirely folded down tothe body 30, a securing strip 37 is provided having means for securingit in place comprising a female snap fastener 38 on one end portion anda complemental male snap fastener 39 on its opposite end portion.

To provide for attachment of the securing strip 37 to the neck 31 andmore particularly extension portion 32 in a manner which precludes itspulling loose, the extension portion 32 is treated to convert it into asecuring strip receiving and retaining loop. This is easily effected bynotching out the heat sealed side marginal areas of the extensionportion 32 as shown at 40, and desirably spaced upwardly a substantialdistance from the fold edge 34 of the front face portion of the neck sothat there will be minimum, if any, tendency for material poured intothe upward neck opening from entering into the side openings afforded bythe notches 40 to provide the securing strip-receiving loop. After thenotches 40 have been cut out, the strip 37 is inserted by threading itthrough the loop and it will be apparent that the strip is then heldquite effectively against being pulled from its assembled relation withthe portion 32 by any force acting toward the upper fold edge definingthe loop.

In order to avoid slipping of the retaining strip 37 from the loop, thestrip is preferably anchored therein as by means of stapling orotherwise, and conveniently by fusing, heat tacking at one or moreplaces, three such fused tack areas 41 being shown and having been foundsuitable to resist any sort of separating force that may be applied inuse.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the invention provides anexceedingly secure, though simple and easily manipulated envelope bagclosure. When the multi-folded neck portion is secured by means of thesecuring strip, the bag is completely liquid-proof and Will withstandrough handling, actually to a degree far more than necessary for evenrough usage, careless handling, dropping, and the like.

It will be understood that modifications and variations may be effectedwithout departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the presentinvention.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a plastic sheet bag,

a single tubular sheet of folded thermoplastic material defining a bagbody and an open-ended neck extending therefrom,

a heat seal seam defining a closed edge at each end of the bag includingthe side of the neck, the top portion outwardly thereof and the edge ofthe body,

each end edge at the neck and the bottom of the body being defined onlyby a fold in the sheet,

the sides of the bag being multi-ply,

one side of said neck extending outwardly beyond the other to facilitatefilling the bag,

a strip of material stiffer and thicker than said tubular sheet securedacross the inner face of the extended side of the neck above the otherside and extending in both directions beyond the neck, and

complemental snap fastener elements carried respectively by said stripadjacent the ends thereof for engagement with each other after said neckhas been wound around said strip down to the bag body.

2. A multi-ply plastic sheet bag comprising a body portion having anupwardly extending filler neck of substantial length and with a filleropening in its upper portion,

a closure retaining strip attached to said upper portion adjacent tosaid opening and substantially spaced from the body portion and beingsubstantially narrower than the length of the neck and having oppositeend portions extending to opposite sides of the neck in the unsecuredcondition of the neck and strip,

the neck being adapted to be folded a plurality of times with thestarting fold including said retaining strip and then continuing withthe starting fold inside and said opening thus thoroughly sealed by thefolding and the end portions of the strip then brought into overlappingrelation,

and means on the strip for securing the overlapping end portions tothereby retain the folded neck against unfolding.

3. In a bag of the character described including a body portion and afoldably closable filling portion having a filling opening,

said filling portion comprising double plies of material defining a loopadjacent to said opening,

and a securing strip engaged in said loop with its opposite end portionsprojecting beyond opposite sides of the filling portion and havingsecuring means on said end portions for securing said filling portionagainst unfolding from folded closed condition.

4. In a bag of the character described including a body portion and afoldably closable filling portion having a filling opening,

said filling portion comprising double plies of material defining a loopadjacent to said opening,

a securing strip engaged in said loop with its opposite end portionsprojecting beyond opposite sides of the filling portion and havingsecuring means on said end portions for securing said filling portionagainst unfolding from folded closed condition,

and means securing said strip against endwise displacement from saidloop.

5. In a bag of the character described including a body portion and afoldably closable filling portion having a filling opening,

one part of said filling portion projecting beyond said filling openingand comprising double plies of material joined together along the sidesand top thereof but otherwise free from one another and notched outalong said sides spaced from said opening and defining a sidewardlyopening loop in spaced adjacency to said opening,

and a securing strip engaged through said loop with its opposite endportions projecting beyond opposite sides of the filling portion andhaving securing means on said end portions for securing said fillingportion against unfolding from folded closed condition.

6. A container comprising a fiat envelope type bag of sheet materialhaving a body part, and

a filler passage neck extending from said body part and having anopening across its outer end portion,

a strip of material stifier than said bag attached to said neck adjacentto and parallel with said opening in position enabling free access intothe opening and having opposite end portions projecting substantially toeach respective side of the neck,

said neck being windable about said strip toward said body part to closeand seal said opening and the strip then being at the center of thewound-up neck,

said end portions of the strip being bendable toward and intooverlapping relation to one another and into overlying relation to thewound neck,

and securing means carried by said strip to secure the end portionsthereof after winding of the neck and overlapping of said end portionswhereby to maintain the bag in sealed condition.

7. A plastic sheet bag comprising a body portion and an upwardlyextending narrower neck of substantial length having an opening at itstop,

a transverse closure strip secured across the upper end portion of saidneck contiguous to said opening and having end portions projectingsubstantially to respective opposite sides of the neck,

said strip being substantially narrower than the length of the neck andbeing spaced substantially from said body portion and serving as a foldguide for folding the neck closed about the strip by a plurality offolds toward the body portion with the strip then being at the center ofthe fold and said end portions being then bendable into overlappingfold-retaining relation to one another over the folded neck,

and means on the end portions of the strip for securing them in saidoverlapping fold-retaining relation.

8. A plastic sheet bag comprising a body portion and an upwardlyextending narrower neck of substantial length having an opening at itstop,

said neck having a double ply Wall with openings at its opposite sideswhereby to define a loop,

a transverse closure strip threaded through said loop and secured acrossthe upper end portion of said neck and having ends projecting toopposite sides of the neck,

said strip being adapted to serve as a fold guide for folding the neckclosed by a plurality of folds toward the body portion,

and means on the end portions of the strip for securing them inoverlapping relation after the neck has been folded closed,

9. A plastic sheet bag comprising a body portion and an upwardlyextending narrower neck of substantial length having an opening at itstop,

a transverse closure strip secured across the upper end portion of saidneck and having ends projecting to opposite sides of the neck,

said strip being adapted to serve as a fold guide for folding the neckclosed by a plurality of folds toward the body portion,

and respective male and female snap fasteners on the end portions of thestrip for securing them in over lapping relation after the neck has beenfolded closed.

10. A method of making a liquid containing bag comprising:

forming liquid retaining sheet-thin pliable material into a bag body anda foldably closable filling neck with an upwardly opening fillingopening and having a rear upward double-ply extension above the opening,

securing said material together along the edges thereof on said body andsaid filling neck and said extension but leaving opposed faces of thematerial otherwise unsecured,

notching out the opposite sides of said extension to provide loopopenings,

and threading a retaining strip through one of said loop openings andout the other with opposite end portions of the strip projecting beyondsaid opposite sides for securing said neck against unfolding from foldedclosed condition.

11. A method of making a liquid containing bag comprising:

forming liquid retaining sheet-thin pliable material into a bag body anda foldably closable filling neck with an upwardly opening fillingopening and having a rear upward double-ply extension above the opening,

securing said material together along the edges thereof on said body andsaid filling neck and said extension but leaving opposed faces of thematerial otherwise unsecured,

notching out the opposite sides of said extension to provide loopopenings,

threading a retaining strip through one of said loop openings and outthe other with opposite end portions of the strip projecting beyondsaid. opposite sides for securing said neck against unfolding fromfolded closed condition,

and securing said strip to said extension against displacementtherefrom.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS GEORGE O.RALSTON, Primary Examiner.

6Q JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Examiner.

R. PESHOCK, Assistant Examiner.

1. IN A PLASTIC SHEET BAG, A SINGLE TUBULAR SHEET OF FOLDEDTHERMOPLASTIC MATERIAL DEFINING A BAG BODY AND AN OPEN-ENDED NECKEXTENDING THEREFROM, A HEAT SEAL SEAM DEFINING A CLOSED EDGE AT EACH ENDOF THE BAG INCLUDING THE SIDE OF THE NECK, THE TOP PORTION OUTWARDLYTHEREOF AND THE EDGE OF THE BODY, EACH END EDGE AT THE NECK AND THEBOTTOM OF THE BODY BEING DEFINED ONLY BY A FOLD IN THE SHEET, THE SIDESOF THE BAG BEING MULTI-PLY, ONE SIDE OF SAID NECK EXTENDING OUTWARDLYBEYOND THE OTHER TO FACILITATE FILLING THE BAG,